Julie Ellitt

Artist’s Statement

About The Exhibition
"The title of my exhibition is called Art Therapy, it refers to how creativity has helped me to manage my Anxieties and Depression.
I bought my first camera at 16yrs and have never stopped photographing. It seems to free my mind and let me escape myself. I can get totally absorbed in looking and finding photographic moments.
All the time I’m looking. I can manage to photograph many shots in a day, but only a few can be special to me. The water is a special place, i got my love of swimming from my dear father. He was brought up in Bondi and lived to swim and body surf. So now when I go to the beach, mostly Bronte in Sydney, I love to swim and photograph in the water there. The Bogey hole is one of my
Favourites. I have a Olympus tough camera which i take into the water. My camera is like a attachment to my hand. I can swim and take pictures at the same time. I totally forget myself, all I can see and feel is the water and moments to frame and shoot.
The other way to help clear my mind of negative thoughts is to walk in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney which i can walk to from my home. Also the Blue Mountains is a favourite spot.
The photographs in this Exhibition are a mix of some of my personal favourites. They cover a range of work from Water, Nature including Animals and Flowers. I don’t know where I would be without my Art work as a source of expression and ability to free my mind of dark thoughts and low esteem.
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to show my art and hopefully inspire others with similar problems. Going forward with Photography i wish to one day take the most beautiful photograph ever taken. It will be my dream."

Biography

I started Photographing around the age of 16. It was for me a way to express myself without feeling that i was being judged. I grew up with Dyslexia and didn't learn to read or write until the age of 9 or 10.

My mother would sit with me each night at the kitchen table pointing at each word in the book, i don't remember how long it took, but finally i got through my first book,”Dr Dolittle”. I think now I'm very happy that it was my first book i read as i love all animals very much.

Flora and fauna are the subjects that i really love to photograph. Nature and animals are very close to my heart. They are like young children, trusting and open, and need us to be kind to them. They are valuable and do no harm to us.
I cannot express myself through words or the written word, my Art and Photography are my words.

I hope my art speaks to people and that they enjoy how i see and feel about the nature world that we live with.